Chapter 947: Growing Old Together (5). Finale
(a)
That's it, from 55 to 72 years old, you have always been a famous senator in this country. You have been elected many times in a row, becoming the most consecutive elected senator in this country.
When you entered politics, you did play a huge role in promoting a lot of legislation in this kingdom regarding the citizens and the welfare of the whole people.
Thanks to your hard work, the charity and welfare undertakings for women, children, the disabled, and the elderly across the country have developed rapidly, and the construction of mutual aid communities and public welfare funds has also been vigorous.
Country N has become internationally recognized as one of the developing countries with the fastest progress in social welfare.
China's experience has attracted many countries to learn from its experience and won the applause of global development.
When you reach the age of 72 and reach the retirement age of the country's parliamentarians, the King appoints you as the country's ambassador to the United Nations.
So, I followed you out of Country N and lived in New York.
At the age of 74, you were unanimously elected to the post of head of UNESCO. Your work has expanded from charity to peace.
At the age of 78, you were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for your great contribution to global philanthropy and peace and development. In the same year, he received the National Lifetime Achievement Award from Country N.
The king has conferred on you the prince of the kingdom of N. It was the first throne that a non-member of the royal family received in the country.
Your biography has become an enduring bestseller around the world.
In this book, a message from you is published.
In this speech, you look back on your past when you were sentenced to a short life. You are sincerely grateful for everything.
You say, "None of our good deeds can be accomplished without those who accept our help." Therefore, those who receive our help are, in fact, the ones who have really helped us. ”
(b)
Now, you are 88 years old, even more than the age when the long-lived Qin Eryu passed away in a past life.
I never dreamed that I would live with you for so long. We've been married for almost half a century.
After the age of 82, your health begins to get worse and worse, and your energy is obviously lacking.
As a result, we faded out of all social life.
I handed over my vast corporate empire to the new board of directors. Kenny, my longtime assistant and good friend, is now the chairman of Corporate Kingdom.
You have also resigned from various jobs in the United Nations and withdrawn from various public affairs in country N.
We signed a document to donate all of our private wealth to UNESCO's charities and several charitable foundations under our own corporate group, 65% of which went to Causes.
Now, the scale of our Anxiang business has been very impressive, and it has developed into the field of charitable elderly care and charitable rehabilitation. There are 1.88 million hospitals around the world. There are also about the same number of hospice homes and rehabilitation centres.
When we have disposed of our possessions, we let go of all the affairs of this earthly world.
We said goodbye to country N and planned to return to Morocco to spend the last days of our lives in a villa near the King's Garden.
When you left the country of N, the king gave us a banquet.
The same gray-haired, old-fashioned king asks you if there are any personal wishes that have not been fulfilled before you leave.
You said no, you said that you could live to such an age and do so many things, you are already satisfied, and there is nothing dissatisfied with life.
At this time, the queen, who was also wrinkled on her face, saw me sitting beside you, and asked me if I had anything to say.
I stood up and saluted the royal couple.
I said, "Actually, for many years, my husband and wife have always had a wish, but if we don't have it, we don't know if we can make a request.
You look at me. Not sure what I want to ask for. But you didn't stop me.
The king encouraged me to speak out. He said that as long as he could, whatever the desires of our husband and wife were, he and the people of the kingdom would do their best to fulfill them.
So, I finally said that long-cherished wish for many years.
These years are not the ordinary "years" that people can understand. It is eons of millennia beyond this earthly life.
I said the biggest unfulfilled wish in my life as a Qin'er, when I was dying.
I hope that country N will give us the radius of the human arm from the ancient battlefield of East Asia, which is preserved in the museum of country N.
The royal couple was amazed and wondered why we would be interested in a human skeleton from ancient times.
I told the king that the bones came from one of your ancestors, and that it had been your family's wish for generations to find his bones and relics and to bury them in the empty tomb behind his wordless tombstone.
I'm going to tell you this millennia story succinctly.
The royal couple was moved by the story.
The king promised on the spot that since the bones belonged to the ancestors of your family, of course they should be returned to your family. Of course, you and your family are worthy of such an honor, and you are worthy of such a gift from the people of the kingdom.
The king signed the decree of the gift on the spot, and gave it to my husband and wife, which was incomparably dear to me.
(c)
On the way home from the palace, we sat side by side in the back of the carriage.
Since I wasn't used to riding a car, we used horse-drawn carriages instead of horse-drawn carriages to get around the city.
You held my hand and said, "The past is like smoke, it's been so many years, and you still take that thing to heart." ”
You said: "Actually, Qingshan buries loyal bones everywhere, as long as you fulfill your life responsibilities and have no regrets in life, a pile of bones, no matter where you are, will die well." ”
I said, "Having said that, if I don't finish this, I will never feel able to repay your affection and kindness." ”
I said, "I still remember you telling me by the shore of Baojing Lake that the environment there is very similar to Qingchuan, and you want to be buried here when you die." I remember the way you looked at me. Throughout my life, I always felt guilty that I couldn't find your bones and couldn't fulfill your wishes. ”
You say, "You can't be blamed for that. It's not that you and the King of Han didn't look for it with all their hearts. This is my own cause. I vowed to marry you, to have children with you, to take care of you for the rest of my life, but I broke my vow. I told you that if you break your oath, you will be pierced by ten thousand arrows and exposed to the wilderness. It was nothing more than the fulfillment of the vow. ”
I said, "But your heart has never broken its oath." In your heart, there has never been another woman for many lifetimes. You have also been taking care of me, the cycle of life and death, never abandoned. So, that's certainly not the end for you. I'm sure I'll be able to change your ending. ”
I said, "I know it's too bigoted, but if I don't make it, I'll feel guilty for eternity." ”
You stroked my gray hair, and you took me into your arms. You don't talk anymore.
We snuggled up in the carriage.
This is what I have longed to do in my life as a Jean, but have never done it.
(iv)
We have finally welcomed back the bones of your previous life.
We returned to Baojing Lake and got help from the local government to quietly bury it behind a wordless tombstone.
This is the last time in my life that I will return to the front of the wordless tombstone.
We hugged each other and stood in front of the wordless tombstones, silently extending our supreme respect and best wishes to all the lost time, those who have disappeared in time.
With our wish fulfilled, we returned to our villa in Morocco as planned, where we lived a peaceful and peaceful life of seclusion.
We have no television, no radio, no telephone, no internet, no newspapers and magazines at home.
Only books.
Your eyes were so bad that you could barely see the words in the book.
I'll wear reading glasses and hold a magnifying glass in my hand and read it aloud to you, word by word.
Every day, we sat on the balcony, blowing the slightly salty sea breeze, listening to the sound of the waves crashing under the cliffs, and reading the classic poems, essays, stories, and scriptures.
We drank afternoon tea together and felt the glorious Mediterranean sun shining warmly on our bodies.
You said to me, "It's good to have no children, but at this moment, there is nothing to give up or worry about in your heart." ”
I said, "In my previous life, a pastor surnamed Fu told me that a wise person should always accomplish the important things in life and be ready to leave everything at any time. ”
You nodded. You say, "He's right. Jean, dear, are you ready? ”
I nodded. I said, "I'm ready." ”
You say, "Now, everything we should do has been done, and there is nothing left in life to regret." Right? ”
I said, "yes." No regrets. ”
You say, "What a long way we've come to say no regrets to each other." ”
I said, "No matter how long it takes, it's worth it." ”
I said, "I'm thankful for everything that has kept me following you until today." ”
You say, "I also thank you for everything." ”
(5)
It was a sunny morning.
On that day, you were 89 years old and 10 months old.
We got up early as usual.
You were already inconvenient to move by then, and I was in a better position than you.
I helped you into your wheelchair, helped you wash up, and pushed the wheelchair onto the balcony.
I kissed you on the forehead and said, "You wait here for me, I'll go downstairs in the kitchen and bring breakfast." ”
You nodded. You take my hand.
You say, "My dear, you are so beautiful today." ”
I said, "You too." Today's complexion is exceptional. There is a light in the whole person. ”
I took a copy of Van Gogh's picture book and handed it to you and said, "I'll be here soon." ”
After I left, you sat alone on the balcony, facing the blue Mediterranean, looking through the picture book while I brought my breakfast to the balcony.
In recent years, we have been in the habit of having breakfast on the balcony on sunny days.
When breakfast was ready in the kitchen and I returned to the balcony with the tray, I could see from a distance the curtains of the balcony fluttering slightly in the wind.
I said, "Breakfast is ready." It's your favorite cereal porridge and soft bread. ”
However, it may be that the waves on the balcony are too loud and your ears are not very good and you don't seem to hear them. You didn't answer me.
I went out on the balcony, put the contents of the tray on the table, and came over and pushed your wheelchair to the table.
At this point, I noticed you leaning back in a chaise longue with a peaceful expression that looked like you were asleep. The album you were holding in your hand fell at your feet under your wheelchair.
When I grabbed your hands, I found them cold.
I kissed you on the forehead. There's still a slight warmth on your forehead. But all over your body, it's already cold.
I hurried back to my bedroom and pressed the call bell, which went straight to the ambulance center. I told them about the situation and they told me that the ambulance would come soon.
I come back to you.
Now, your forehead is getting colder and colder.
I knew very well in my heart that it didn't make sense for the ambulance to come or not.
Your weakened heart has stopped working.
You've left me again.
(f)
I'll just like that, once again hold your hand that has no body temperature.
I got down on my knees beside you. I put your hand on my cheek.
I said goodbye to you quietly.
Nothing was said.
Not far from the cliffs, many seagulls are spreading their wings and quacking.
Dear you, in this life, half a century after we met, we have lived with love and affection, we have experienced all kinds of ups and downs in life, but everything is happy.
For such a fate, I gladly accept it, there is nothing, there is nothing to complain about.
(g)
Esabelle Chen: After your death, she lived alone in Morocco for decades. Lived in seclusion, avoided the media, and did not appear in any public places.
People only know that she is still an important supporter and promoter of many public welfare causes.
She died peacefully in her villa at the age of 111, once again ending her life without regrets.
She didn't leave any words or wishes in the end.
Her last words were: "Now, it's time to finish." ”
“8)